Day: January 8, 2026

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China’s Hurricane 3000 microwave weapon can ‘sweep and kill’ drone swarms at 3km The truck-mounted Hurricane 3000 was showcased during China’s huge military parade in September. This week its developer – state-owned defence contractor Norinco – disclosed some details of the weapon system for the…

US President Donald Trump has said the Taiwan issue was “up to” Chinese leader Xi Jinping, as he sought to draw a sharp distinction between the self-ruled island and Washington’s recent military action in Venezuela. In an interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, Trump rejected suggestions that his audacious operation targeting the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro could set a precedent that Beijing might apply to Taiwan. Maduro’s government posed a direct threat to the United States that Taiwan did not pose to Beijing, according to Trump. Advertisement…

I attended a memorial service last month for victims of the Nanking massacre, held at the Hong Kong government offices in Admiralty. Such occasions are solemn reminders of history’s darkest moments, forcing us to pause and reflect on the scale of the tragedy that unfolded after the city was seized on December 13, 1937, and the broader suffering inflicted on China during World War II. Government figures estimate that military and civilian casualties exceeded 35 million, with 21 million lives lost, leaving an enduring scar on the nation. For many…

Washington’s further retreat from multilateral institutions has dealt “a heavy blow” to an already fractured global governance system, presenting both opportunities and challenges for Beijing, according to analysts. On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning described Washington’s continued pullback from multilateralism as “no longer news” yet warned that it risked undermining the foundations of global governance centred on the United Nations. Advertisement Only a functioning multilateral system could prevent “the spread of the law of the jungle” and a return to “might makes right” and “force is justice”, Mao…